Funding Strategies for the Development and Maintenance of the Site

The overwhelming majority of respondents indicated their preference for the site to be retained and funds to develop the Precinct being actively sought via a combination of government, philanthropic and corporate grants. Further funding for the development and maintenance of the site was seen as something that should be funded primarily through levies on organisations using the site, leases over portions of the site and some funding from the Tablelands Regional Council ratepayers.

There was strong opposition to the imposition of another special levy on the Kuranda ratepayers similar to that currently in place for the Aquatic Centre. Suggestions provided by some respondents included, leasing a portion of the site to a commercial developer or developer of an aged care/senior residential living facility and using that income to prop up a community facility on a different portion of the site.

The sale of the site was seen as being the least desirable option with the sub-division and sale of small portions of the site only being considered an option where alternative funding sources have been exhausted, if at all. Many respondents indicated their preference for the site to be retained until such time that funding becomes available for development.
There was a strong sense that Kuranda, through Tourism, provided a lot of income for the District, and that as such, some of that money should be used for the benefit of the wider community.